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Thursday, January 28, 2016

Lori Talks The Biggest Book Purge of All

I've written numerous times in the past about being completely overwhelmed by the number of books I own. I've written about doing book purges in the past. And I've written about doing the KonMari method of clearing out crap. I got rid of a good 300 books the first go around. I had so much crap that I actually did the KonMari method a second time to get rid of even more. Except the second time sort of failed because I still haven't taken the stuff to a place to actually get rid of it...But I won't focus on that. The stuff has been separated from the main part of my stuff, which is the goal, and when I finally do dispose of the stuff, I will be rid of another 50 plus books.

Anyway, the title of the post is "Biggest Book Purge of All." I've mentioned getting rid of a good 350 books, which is pretty extreme, so how could I get rid of even more? I moved.

When I moved back in November, I made the conscious decision to limit the amount of stuff I brought so that I could streamline my life. I've followed an internet friend's decision of limiting her wardrobe to mostly black, white, and gray because it all goes together and totally streamlines my mornings. I decided to not bring a bunch of kitchen gadgets because I don't have much time to cook and I hate having a lot of items I rarely, if ever, use just lying around. We don't keep a ton of food in our fridge or cabinets and the food we buy actually gets eaten instead of becoming a science project! I didn't bring a bunch of movies because I don't have time to watch movies. Etc.

I also made the decision to not bring a bunch of books. I really haven't looked back, to be honest. I don't spend a lot of my reading time wishing I had this book or that book on hand. I brought two book cases. They are comfortably full (as opposed to being crammed full or having piles of books on the floor without a home). When I have the time and inclination to read, I can quickly find something, instead of spending huge amounts of time having an existential crisis about what I should read next.

The two book cases aren't huge by any means, but they hold the books I want to be reading. I love the idea that the books we buy are an entryway into who we aspire to be at a given time. I'm old enough to be comfortable enough to just take myself as I am and not aspire to be too much else or someone vastly different from who I really am. That's not to say I don't still try to get outside my comfort zones (I recently bought two Philip K. Dick books), but I'm not interested in reading the complete history of every subject I encounter or buying an author's complete backlist.

Without all of the book clutter, I feel like I can take things as they come. I can read and enjoy myself, or I can watch TV and enjoy myself--all without feeling guilty about what I am or am not reading. That kind of freedom is priceless.

Next step-just get rid of all the book clutter :) I don't own one physical book, and get 100% of my books from the library (both physical and ebooks). I love not having pile of books lying around. Since I don't re-read books, and I'm also such a mood reader, there's just no point!

Congrats!! That sounds relieving in some ways. I do look at my books and think, dear god...when I move out these will be a bare to pack and unpack...but yet...they are all very dear to me. I don't have nearly enough room or bookcase room, so they're kind of strewn about over the house and in my closet. I have a bookcase in my closet!!

But then when I look at all my other "possessions" the things I desire most are in my room and a good deal of them are my books.

All I can hope is that when I meet my "prince charming" or "sexy vampire in disguise" (LOL) he'll have a lot of muscle to help me tote these babies back and forth!

But I have done the occasional cleanse of them. Not a deep clean, but a decent one every now and then! And in high school, we actually had a book drive and I was the one who brought in a HUGE grocery store box (since I was working there) and filled it to the brim (nearly) with a bunch of books I knew I would never read again, which was mostly my contemporary YA books, as by then I was reading adult Urban Fantasy, for Paranormal YA was still another year or two away...

So I know that big ol box did some good, and sometime in college, I got rid of two computer paper boxes worth of books...or maybe it was 3. I think I took one to the library to donate and then later I donated the other two to a school/library somewhere that was in need of books. The post office people looked at me when I said I wanted to ship via media mail. I was like, yes, they are all just books. I swear! LOL!

That's awesome ...I do book purges too. Mostly I have more books in my garage in boxes then in the home. I know that there is book all about decluttering and I need to read it. I also donate my books to my kids middle school:)

Well done! I need to do the same thing. I have so many that I'll probably never re-read that someone else could enjoy! Oh and I love the idea of limiting your wardrobe to black/white/grey! I love neutral colors, and like you said, that would make it so much easier. Plus you could add pops of color with fun scarves or something! Might have to try that myself!

I recently went through my shelves and cleared out around 3 boxes full because I just didn't have the space. I love my books, but with me in college, it's hard to have them all sit on my shelves at home and not take up a ton of space. My room at home is a little limited because it's kind of small. I can't just throw up another shelf because then my room would be cluttered. I have to stick to my one bookshelf, so to make more room for things I knew I wanted to be displayed on my shelves I went through books that I thought were okay or I didn't like and threw them in a box. These books are going to half price the first chance I get, but for now they are beside my shelves at home. Sometimes book purges are for the best.

You're so much better than me! I'm quite attached to all my books as I've got this annoying habit of wanting to read the book I've just leant to someone/gotten rid of. So I'm more likely to cull everything else I own before I cull my books.

It sounds like you made some great decisions of purging a bunch of stuff before you moved. Why take stuff with you that you won't use? This post has inspired me to do another sweep of my entire apartment.

I just read Nicole's post on FYFA about tossing books of your TBR, then I opened this and thought, "ooh, that book looks good--I'll add it to my list." Sigh.

I never had quite the bookshelf problem that some bloggers seem to have. I was broke in my teens and travelling in my twenties, so by the time I was settled in in my thirties, I was already aware that I'd do better being a library user than a book collector. Still, at one point we planned on moving and I really whittled down my books to mainly nonfiction, essays, and a few books from my childhood. Things I want on hand to refer back to, mainly. And when I do buy (or gather) books, I try to move them along once I've read them.

Of course, my classroom library is at 600+, but that's an entirely different matter. In this case, I'd like to see it grow and grow!

What solid post this is for me and usually posts some really exciting stuff like this.I love my books, but with me in college, it's hard to have them all sit on my shelves at home and not take up a ton of space. My room at home is a little limited because it's kind of small.Business Related Topics

I just sorted my books this past week. I had to move my office to another room to make way for a new baby room. So far I have a small bookcase with my favourite books ever on it. And two medium sized storage containers eh my TBR books in them. The rest are in piles: ARCs to donate to library, books for my sister, my friend and nieces and books to list for sale (then donate if they don't sell online). I can't believe how many I purged. Now to get them out of the house. ;)

Congrats on cutting down on your items. I have her book to read so I can do the KonMari thing during my maternity leave.

If you wanted to have fewer books and wanted to feel a lot calmer because of this as well, then it does make sense for you to have done this! And I hope you are feeling much more comfortable now with your cosy two bookcases!

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